Flouride amendment bill to give power to DHBs

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The Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill is currently at its second reading in parliament, but American Professor Paul Connett says fluoride damages the brain and he'll present his findings to parliament this month.

"The biggest concern today is the fluoride damages the brain, we've got over 300 animal studies and human studies and 51 out of 58 studies have found lowered IQ in villages with high fluoride compared with villages with low fluoride," says Connett.

He's an emeritus professor at the Environmental Chemistry at St Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He's here visiting different parts of the country spreading his anti-flouride message.

Connett will be presenting against the Health Flouridation Water Bill amendment which will allow DHBs to make decisions and give directions about the fluoridation of drinking water in their communities.

"I've been brought here from FAN (Flouride Action Network) to talk to communities which are not flouridated at the moment because there is a bill going through parliament which will essentially make flouridation mandatory so even though you've been able to keep flouridation out of Napier for years, you could find suddenly that you're forced to flouridate."

The Ministry of Health says there is strong international and New Zealand evidence from over 60 years that tell us that there are no health risks associated with community water fluoridations at the levels used in New Zealand.

Fluoride is present in major cities like Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and in a few water supplies in smalltown New Zealand but MOH say levels here comply with World Health Organisation standards.